Shu land, sword pavilion.

Shi Xiaohan's life is as dull and boring as ever.

From morning to night, they either practiced in the mountain grassland, practiced martial arts with their senior sisters, or listened to the elders explain the moves.

The only way to spend your leisure time is to sit quietly on the rocks at the top of the mountain, listen to the sound of the hanging spring waterfall, and watch the remnants of flowers fall from the trees.

Compared with her childhood's good manners, or the prosperity and excitement of Luojing City, it is like becoming an ascetic.

Shi Xiaohan is active and playful by nature.

It was not an easy task for her to endure the loneliness of the Sword Pavilion cultivation.

But whenever she wanted to give up, she would always think of the scene when Gu Xu rescued her from Hu Yun, who had become a "ghost servant", on the day when Luojing City was broken-

Gu Xu and Zhao Yan showed their own magical powers, and fought back and forth with Hu Yun, who was higher than them.

And she could only lie on Gu Xu's back silently, watching them fight, but she couldn't help anything.

She hated the feeling of powerlessness.

She wants to be stronger, she doesn't want to be a burden anymore.

I gritted my teeth and persevered.

But recently, the bag of food that was suddenly delivered to her has added a bit of color to her dull life.

Delicious fish cakes, mellow pot helmets, spicy chicken with burnt outside and tender inside, white soft and smooth bean curd......

Not only did it greatly improve her food in the Sword Pavilion, but it also made her feel that although the marriage book had been thrown into the furnace by her father, Gu Xu still took her to heart, and the relationship between the two had not faded in the slightest.

She firmly believes that one day in the future, Gu Xu will defeat those enemies who slander him with the posture of a hero of the world, and step on the golden clouds to marry her.

Until last night, she had a nightmare.

She dreamed that Gu Xu was standing in the firelight and said goodbye to her.

He said he was going to a far, far away place and should never come back.

Hearing his words, her nose was sour, two lines of tears unconsciously welled up in her eyes, and an ominous premonition sprouted in her heart.

She rushed forward, grabbed his waist, buried her face in his chest, and pleaded over and over again: "Don't go, don't go......

However, at this moment, Gu Xu's body quickly became burning, paralyzed, and charred, and in the bright flames, accompanied by a crackling sound, it was quickly burned into black smoke.

It's like a paper man burned at a funeral.

The handsome and gentle smile on his face became as stiff and sluggish as it had been painted.

As his figure gradually turned to black ashes in the billowing smoke, her tears evaporated in the flames.

Shi Xiaohan's legs were weak, and she fell to the ground with a "plop", and her knees hurt hotly, but she didn't seem to realize it.

After a while, she slowly climbed up with her hands on the ground.

At this time, an inexplicable question popped up in her mind: what just happened? Why am I so sad all of a sudden?

…………

When Shi Xiaohan woke up, his eyes were full of tears.

Her mood at the moment was dull and depressed, like a big stone pressing down on her chest, making her a little breathless.

This depressed mood came for no reason and inexplicably.

She looked up and saw the bag of food on the table next to her.

She stared at it blankly, frowning slightly, and thought for a long time.

Who sent this?

Was it because my father was worried that I wouldn't be able to adapt to the simple food of the Sword Pavilion, so he sent someone to bring it to me?

Well, I guess so.

No one other than my father would be so familiar with my taste preferences.

After finishing grooming and dressing, Shi Xiaohan left the house where he lived and found his senior sister Chang Xiao in the shade of a tree.

Then Chang Xiao said to her with a complicated expression, "I really didn't expect that the traitor Li Batian would escape from the round-up of the imperial court again."

"Li Ba

Sky? Who's that?" This unfamiliar name made Shi Xiaohan feel a little confused.

"That famous thief who occupies the mountains in the western frontier of the Great Qi! Why can't you remember him?" Chang Xiao said in surprise, and at the same time stretched out his hand and pointed to the warehouse next to him, "His portrait is still posted in our mountain gate!"

Shi Xiaohan looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, he saw a wanted notice posted on the door of the warehouse.

The wanted warrant depicts a middle-aged man with a tiger's back, a beard, and a gangster.

He was armed with a large knife and his eyes were fierce.

Although this was just a portrait, Shi Xiaohan still shivered unconsciously when he was stared at by his wolf-like gaze.

At this time, she finally remembered that it seemed that the Great Qi Dynasty had indeed recently had a thief named "Li Batian" and nicknamed "Badao Heavenly King".

He took a group of younger brothers to kill corrupt officials, fight landlords, divide the land, and make a lot of noise.

Naturally, the Great Qi Imperial Court could not tolerate the existence of such a person, and sent many monks with advanced cultivation to arrest him.

But this Li Batian slipped like a loach, and he couldn't catch it. Almost every action of the imperial court was in vain.

"Alas, I've been too tired from practicing knives lately, and my memory is not very good," Shi Xiaohan scratched his head, "I even forgot about such a famous fugitive."

"It's normal," Chang Xiao said with a smile, "It's because Senior Sister has been focusing on cultivation lately, and she doesn't hear anything outside the window. When I practiced swords last week, I couldn't even remember if I had eaten!"

As the memory of "Li Batian" gradually became clear in his mind, Shi Xiaohan also smiled.

However, in the dark, she always felt that the person painted on the wanted notice yesterday did not seem to be Li Batian, but a person who was much younger and more handsome than Li Batian.

It's just that when she expressed her confusion to Chang Xiao, Chang Xiao said very firmly: "The wanted warrant has always been Li Batian, and it has never been changed. After all, in the entire territory of Great Qi, apart from Li Batian, who else could have such a high bounty?"

Shi Xiaohan let out a "hmm", but his mood became more and more irritable.

At this time, Chang Xiao suddenly said, "Senior Sister Shi is not married yet, right?"

"Not yet."

"Never engaged?"

Shi Xiaohan frowned, muttered for a few seconds, and nodded.

"At the age of eighteen, I haven't decided on a lifelong event, so it's a little late," Chang Xiao chuckled, "A few days ago, Senior Brother Wei from Jingzhou saw Senior Sister's sword skills and admired Senior Sister's demeanor, so he specially invited me to inquire about Senior Sister Shi's situation.

"That Senior Brother Wei is not bad-looking, he is polite when he speaks, he is very talented in swordsmanship, and he was accepted as a personal disciple by Elder Qiu, which can be described as a promising future.

"If Senior Sister Shi is interested, you might as well talk to him in your free time, maybe it can become a good story——"

"-I'm sorry, senior sister," Shi Xiaohan interrupted her and said without thinking, "Thank you for your kindness, but I just want to concentrate on practicing the sword technique now, and I don't want to think about the relationship between my children and daughters."

Shi Xiaohan didn't know why he refused so simply and resolutely.

She is obviously at the age of a young girl's pregnancy, but she feels that no one in the world can touch her heartstrings anymore.

It seems that she has really become a ruthless, desireless, and dedicated ascetic.